4 ms·
Not necessarily. AFAIK, moving through water at moderate speed is quite efficient if you have smooth skin, a streamlined body and a huge fluke. And once you bui
by krylon 5y ago
Not necessarily. AFAIK, moving through water at moderate speed is quite efficient if you have smooth skin, a streamlined body and a huge fluke. And once you built a thick layer of blubber, staying warm is not that big a problem.
Whales still need to eat a lot, because they only eat for a few months per year, so those reserves need to last for a long time, including, possibly, a pregnancy.
- TulliusCicero 5y agoMy understanding is that pretty much all marine mammals eat a ton of calories relative to their body weight compared to land mammals, and I can't think of an explanation of that besides needing to keep warm in the water.
- krylon 5y agoIt makes sense. Building and maintaining that layer of blubber must take a lot of eating for a large animal, and most large whales have their feeding grounds in fairly cold waters. And of course, building and maintaining a body of 10 or more metric tons requires a lot of food to begin with.